Spin rates of fast-rotating asteroids and fragments in impact disruption

Abstract

We present a new experimental result of fragment spin-rate in impact disruption, using a thin glass plate. A cylindrical projectile impacts on a side (edge) of the plate. Dispersed fragments are observed using a high-speed camera and the spin rates of fragments are measured. We find that the measured fragment spin-rate decreases with increasing size. Assuming that the rotational energy of fragments is supplied from the residual stress, the spin rate ω decreases with increasing fragment size r as ω ∼ r − 1 , which explains the above experimental results. This size-dependence is similar to that of the observed spin rates of small fast-rotating asteroids. Our results suggest that spin rates of fragments of small asteroids immediately after disruption may have a similar size-dependence, and can provide constraints on the subsequent spin-state evolution of small asteroids due to thermal torques.